DSO’S POPS SEASON OPENS WITH ‘LET’S DANCE’ AND MAXCAST DURING DLECTRICITY

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will open its Pops season with “Let’s Dance” conducted by Jeff Tyzik featuring tango, tap and ballroom dancers who will electrify this celebration of the art of dance. The Pops opening weekend concert also marks the DSO’s return to DLECTRICITY through a MaxCast live video projection of the Pops performance onto the Carpenter Building on Woodward Avenue.

Let’s Dance will be performed live in Orchestra Hall on Fri., September 26 at 10:45 a.m. and 8 p.m., as well as Sat., September 27 at 8 p.m. and Sun., September 28 at 3 p.m. The 8 p.m. performances on Friday and Saturday will be video projected onto the façade of the Carpenter Building on Woodward Avenue as the performance happens live in Orchestra Hall. Those attending DLECTRICITY are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and enjoy this performance outside.

Tyzik’s exciting Let’s Dance program features American Idol season nine finalist Michael Lynche, vocalist Julie Jo Hughes and a stellar cast of swing, tango, ballroom and tap dancers. The program opens with Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story adapted by Maurice Peress and includes Reinhold Glière’s “Russian Sailor’s Dance” from The Red Poppy, Camille Saint- Saëns’ “Bacchanale” from Samson and Delilah and Alfredo le Pera’s Tango (Por una Cabeza) arranged by John Williams, as well as several pieces arranged by Tyzik.

Following the performance, footage from previous classical concerts will be projected until midnight onto the Carpenter Building.

“Our state-of-the art robotic camera system in Orchestra Hall typically broadcasts performances live across the world. We’re bringing that experience from the small screens of phones, tablets and computers to the big screen on Woodward Avenue, right here in Midtown on the Carpenter Building,” said Scott Harrison, DSO Executive Producer of Digital Media. “There’s no better way to celebrate the opening weekend of our Pops season than by making this larger-than-life performance accessible to our entire local community.”

The MaxCast is made possible by a generous gift from Phillip and Lauren Fisher. Additional DLECTRICITY activities are made possible with the support of Princeton Enterprises and Marc Schwartz.

“We’re so excited that thousands of people will be able to enjoy a free, live performance of the DSO projected from The Max onto the Carpenter Building, at the southern gateway to our event,” said Marc Schwartz, Chairman of DLECTRICITY. “This will be one of the great highlights of Midtown’s nighttime festival of light and art.”

The Music Box within the Max M. Fisher Music Center will also be buzzing throughout the festival with a Chamber Music Society presentation of the Cavani String Quartet with poet Mwatabu Okantah on Fri., September 26 at 8 p.m. and Mix @ The Max on Sat., September 27 at 9 p.m. featuring the Fifth House Ensemble. The Max’s front façade will also shine a spotlight on a special sculpture installation.

For the duration of DLECTRICITY, the Max M. Fisher Music Center will offer paid parking at its garage on Parsons Street, as well as concessions and public restrooms.

Ticket Information
Tickets to Let’s Dance in Orchestra Hall start at $19 and may be purchased at dso.org, via the free DSO to Go mobile app, in-person at the Max M. Fisher Music Center Box Office (3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit), or by calling (313) 576-5111. For group discount information (10 people or more), please contact Chuck Dyer at (313) 576-5130 or cdyer@dso.org.

M-1 Rail ConstructionAttendees can find up-to-date details about the best route to take to Orchestra Hall during construction of the M- 1 Rail streetcar in Midtown at dso.org/m1 and m-1rail.com. Woodward will always remain open in Midtown throughout the construction period. Complete closures are restricted to the downtown section of the rail line. Work has commenced on the north bound track between Temple and Canfield streets, shifting traffic to the southbound side of Woodward. There is one north bound, one south bound and one turn lane open on this stretch. Coming in to Midtown, an extra 15 minutes for travel time is recommended, as well as using Cass Avenue, instead of Woodward Avenue when possible.

DSO Pops Season
Acclaimed DSO Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik returns with a Pops season full of classics in every genre: dance, rock, jazz and Broadway. Audiences will enjoy a medley of ballroom, Celtic, tango and tap music; Simon and Garfunkel’s hits backed by the DSO;; a celebration of Nat King Cole;; music from Gershwin’s iconic Porgy and Bess; a return of the acrobatic Cirque de la Symphonie and much more. A DSO tradition will also return to Orchestra Hall as Tyzik conducts the DSO patrons’ annual favorite, Home for the Holidays, in December.

About The DSO
Hailed by The New York Times as “cutting edge,” the internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra, is known for trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and an unwavering commitment to Detroit. Esteemed conductor Leonard Slatkin, called “America’s Music Director” by the Los Angeles Times, became the 12th Music Director of the DSO during the 2008-09. Acclaimed conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik serves as Principal Pops Conductor while celebrated trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair. The DSO’s performance schedule includes Classical, Pops, Jazz, Young People’s, Neighborhood concerts, and collaborations with chart-topping musicians from Smokey Robinson to Kid Rock. A commitment to broadcast innovation began in 1922 when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a radio broadcast and continues today with the free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. Fisher Music Center, one of America’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact and serve the community through music. For more information visit the newly updated dso.org or download the free DSO to Go mobile app.